Effect of vacuum heat treatment on plutonium oxide surfaces as studied by XPS and AES

Technical Report · Tue Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1980

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/6927680· OSTI ID:6927680

Larson, D T

The effect of heating (150 to 500/sup 0/C) in vacuum a plutonium substrate with a plutonium oxide surface film was studied utilizing X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Auger electron spectroscopy (AES). When plutonium metal with a surface oxide film is vacuum heat treated, the oxide is reduced by reaction of the substrate metal with the oxide. The reactions occurring were examined by monitoring the binding energies of the Pu(4f/sub 7/2/), O(1s), and C(1s) XPS peaks and observing the C(KLL) Auger electron peak structure. These results were compared with the x-ray diffraction data of Terada et al. (J. Nucl. Mater. 30: 340(1969). The XPS and AES data show that at higher reaction temperatures (400 to 500/sup 0/C) the surface compound formed is not PuO as indicated by Terada et al., but is instead a plutonium oxycarbide (Pu(C,O)) compound. The Pu(4f/sub 7/2/) binding energies for PuO/sub 2/, PuO/sub 1/ /sub 52/ (..cap alpha..-Pu/sub 2/O/sub 3/), Pu(C,O), and Pu metal are 426.1, 424.4, 423.6, and 422.2 eV, respectively.

• Research Organization: Rockwell International Corp., Canoga Park, CA (USA). Energy Systems Group
• DOE Contract Number: AC04-76DP03533
• OSTI ID: 6927680
• Report Number(s): RFP-3108
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

38 RADIATION CHEMISTRY, RADIOCHEMISTRY, AND NUCLEAR CHEMISTRY
400702* -- Radiochemistry & Nuclear Chemistry-- Properties of Radioactive Materials
ACTINIDE COMPOUNDS
ACTINIDES
AUGER ELECTRON SPECTROSCOPY
BINDING ENERGY
CARBON
CARBON COMPOUNDS
CHALCOGENIDES
COHERENT SCATTERING
DIFFRACTION
ELECTRON SPECTROSCOPY
ELEMENTS
ENERGY
FILMS
HEAT TREATMENTS
HIGH TEMPERATURE
METALS
NONMETALS
OXIDES
OXYCARBIDES
OXYGEN
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PHOTOELECTRON SPECTROSCOPY
PLUTONIUM
PLUTONIUM COMPOUNDS
PLUTONIUM OXIDES
SCATTERING
SPECTROSCOPY
SUBSTRATES
TRANSURANIUM COMPOUNDS
TRANSURANIUM ELEMENTS
X-RAY DIFFRACTION